System of deoxidization



y 1929- 1.. H. HILL ET AL SYSTEM OF nnoxrmzmxou Original Filed Sept. 10, 1924 INVENTORS Le/andflH/l/ l Va/fer MDa/m.

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AT'II'ORNEY Patented July 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LELAND H. HILL, OF SW ISSVALE, AND WALTER M. DANN, OF WILKINSBURG, PENN SYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COM- IPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA. I

SYSTEM OF DIOXIDIZATION.

Application filed September 10, 1924, Serial No. 736,829. Renewed July 12, 1926.

Our invention relates to the production of an inert atmosphere in electrical devices and particularly to the deoxidation of the gas initially confined therein.

One object of our invention is to provide an electrical translating device With means for deoxidizing or dehydrating the gases originally confined therein.

Another object of our invention is to provide an electrical translating device that is equipped with achamber for deoxidizing or dehydrating the incoming gas that shall also be provided with means for insuring the cir- 'culation of the air or gases already confined in the translating device into contact with the dehydrating or deoxidizing medium.

It is a further object of our invention to providean electrical translating device having means for dehydrating or deoxidizing 1ncoming gases with means that shall insure the circulation of air or gases initially contained in such device into contact with the dehydrating or deoxidizing medium by employing convection currents created by the temperature of the translating device.

It is now customary practice to provide electrical translating devices, such as oil immersed circuit interrupters or transformers, with an atmosphere of dehydrated or deoxidized gas above the level of the insulating oil in order to avoid the dangers of explosions incidental to the formation of explosive mixtures of hydrocarbon gases and air within such devices. In order to suitably modify the air entering such translating devices during the process of breathing, it has been found practicable to insert'a container filled with suitable dehydrating or deoxidizing material between the external atmosphere and the atmosphere above the insulating fluid in the translating. device. Such devices, however, are capable of dehydrating and deoxidizing the atmosphere initially confined in such translating devices only by difiusionwith the treated air drawn in-during inbreathing.

Accordingly, we propose to facilitate .deoxidization and dehydration of the initially confined gas by causing it to circulate into contact with the deoxidizing or dehydrating material without having to discharge it into the surrounding atmosphere.

In the accompanying drawings, the sin-' gle figure is a View, partially in elevation and partially in section, of an electrical translating device equipped with our invention.

Our invention comprises, in general, an

electrical translating device 1, such as a transformer, 1n which the operating windings 2 are surrounded by an insulating and cooling fluid 3, such as oil, and having a chamber 4 attached to the casing of the translating device 1 that, in turn, communicates, through an orifice 5, located in the lower part of the trans lating device 1, with a conduit or pipe 6 that extends upwardly above the level of the insulating oil 3.

The electrical translating device 1 is provided with a cover member 7 through which suitable insulating bushings 8 extend for containing 'the conductors 9 connected to the windings 2. .The cover member 7 is secured by suitable clamping bolts 11 tothe tank portion 12 of the translating device.

An orifice 13 is provided in the tank portion'12 near its upper edge and above the level of the insulating oil 3. The orifices 5 and 13 are preferably in alinement with each other.

The pipe 6 extends upwardly beyond the upper edge of the orifice 13.

The chamber 4 isdetachably secured to the tank 12 by means of bolts 14 in such manner that it covers the orifices 5 and 13. Within the chamber 4 is placed a pair of parallelextending screens 15 that divide the chamber into small compartments. The compartment bounded by the screens 15 is filled with the dehydrating and deoxidizing material 16. As the particular composition of the dehydrating and deoxidizing compound forms no part of the present invention, a discussion of such material is omitted from this application. On one side of the deoxidizing material 16 is i a compartment 17 that communicates through.

lating device'l, the tank 12 is filled with the insulating fiuid 3 either before or after the cover member 7 is clamped thereto. In either event, a quantity of air is trapped between the cover member 7 and the level of theinsulating fluid 3, which air has neither been deoxidized nor dehydrated and is therefore likely to combine with hydrocarbon vapors to form an explosive mixture. Changes in the volume of the gas within the translating device l occur by reason of changes in the level of the insulating oil, caused by changes in its temperature. Fluctuations in temperature cause variations in pressure in the tank and corresponding escape of gas or breathing in of air occurs when the pressure reaches predetermined maximum or minimum values. The original atmosphere confined in the translating device 1 eventually becomes an in ert gas by diffusion with the purified gases passing through the chamber 4.

In order to facilitate the deoxidation and dehydrating of the air or gas originally enclosed in the translating-device 1, we have provided the orifice 5 at the lower portion of the tank 12 and the pipe 6. Under-working conditions of the windings 2, a certain amount of heat is transmitted to the insulating oil 3, some of which is, in turn, transmitted to the walls of the pipe 6, thereby causing convection currents to be setup through the orifice 13, the compartment 19, the orifice 5 and the pipe 6 in the direction shown by the arrows in the drawing, that direction being the same as the order of the parts just enumerated.

Since the outlet of the pipe 6 is considerably above the upper wall of the orifice 13, the gas discharged therefrom crowds the cooler gas above the level of the fluid 3 through the orifice 13and into the compartment 19. The gas above the fluid 3 is cooled by the continuous radiation of heat through the cover member 7 v This gas being relatively cool, tends to settle downwardly through the compartment 19 where it engages the surface of the deoxidizing compound 16. It is obvious that this convection current continues indefinitely and serves to .continuously purify the gas c0nfined in the translating device 1.

The pressure required to'cause a circulation of the gas through the compartment 19 and the pipe 6 is very low as compared with that required to cause inbreathing or outbreathing through the regulating'valve 18 and accordingly, the function of the regulating valve is in no way interfered with by the provision of the internal purifying passage. Any tendency toward the creation of a vacuous condition by reason of the loss of oxygen is cared for by new gas breathed into the translating device.

Accordingly, we have provided a means for purifying the gas initially confined in the .1. In combination, a container partially filled with gas and having an orifice communicating with the atmosphere, means co-operating with the container for treating any air entering the container from the surrounding medium, and automatic means. for circulating 'the contained gas into engagement with the treating means.

2. In combination, a container partially filled with gas and having an orifice communicating with the atmosphere, means cooperating with the container for rendering inert any air entering the container from the surrounding medium, and means for circulating the contained gas into engagement with said means by reason of the difierence in temperature between the contained gas and said means.

3. In combination, a container partially filled was gas, a chamber associated With the container, and means for causing the gas in the container to circulate through said chamber without physical change thereof.

4. In combination, a container partially filled with gas, a chamber associated with the container, and means for causing the gas in the container to circulate through said cham ber without physical change by reason of the difference between the temperatures of the contained gas and of said chamber.

5. In combination, an electrical device par tially filled with gas, a chamber associated with the electrical device, and meansfor causing the gas in the electrical device to circulate through said chamber without physical change thereof.

6. In combination, an electrical device partially filled with gas, a chamber associated with the electrical device, and means for causing the gas in the electrical device to circulate through said chamber without physical change by reason of the difference between the temperatures of the gas con tained in the electrical device and'of said chamber.

7. In combination, a container partially filled with gas and having a plurality of ori fices located at different levels, a chamber associated with the container and communieating with the orifices and means attached to the container adj aceht to the lower orifice and in communication the chamber for conveying gas from the bottom of said chamber for conveying gas from the bottom of said chamber to a point in the container above the upper orifice;

9. In combination, a container partially filled with, as and having a plurality of orifices locate at different levels, a chamber associated with the container and communicating with the orifices, and a conduit attached to the container adjacent to the lower orifice and in communication with said chamber for conveying gas from the bottom of said chamber to a point in the container above the upper orifice, the conduit being subjected I .ber, 1924. a

to thetemperature of the contents of the container. a

10. In combination, acontainer partially filled with gas and having a plurality of orifices located at different levels, a chamber associated with the" container and communicating with the orifices, and a conduit attached to the container adjacent to the lower orifice and in communication withsaid chamber for conveying gas from the bottom ofsaid chamber to apoint' in the container above the u per orifice, ,the conduit being subjected to tile temperature of the contents of the container throughout its entire length.

11. Protective device for liquid insulated electric apparatus comprising means for causing a permanent circulationof the air in said apparatus above the liquid level and means for absorbing the oxygen in the air;

I In testimony whereof, We have hereunto subscribed our names this 4th day ofISeptem-.

LELAND HILL. p j WALT E R-M. DANN. I 

